Pork BBQ in Juchon, Gimhae: sunset bar seats and pork neck at Anmin

I heard there's a pork place near Costco in Juchon, Gimhae with a really great atmosphere, so I went to Anmin Gimhae (안민 김해).

Where is Anmin Gimhae, and what are the hours and parking?

Anmin Gimhae is at 159 Cheongok-ro, Juchon-myeon, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam, on the 2nd floor. It's open daily 17:00 to 23:00 (last order 21:30). There's a parking lot behind the building, group visits and reservations are possible, and the restrooms are separated for men and women.

Anmin sits on a corner of the intersection, and being near Costco makes it easy to get to. Go around to the back of the building and you'll find the entrance leading up to Anmin Gimhae on the 2nd floor.

There's a lot behind the restaurant, so parking and heading in was easy. I was told you can also park on the roadside and in the parking line next to the entrance, so driving shouldn't be a worry.

Anmin Gimhae waiting times and booking a bar table

Even though we went after the weekday evening peak, there was still a waiting list. We had booked a 2-person bar table, so we were seated right away. It seems the bar can be seated without any wait.

4-person tables and private rooms

Besides the bar, the restaurant has roomy seating in 4-person units. Everything is spacious and each table is separated from the next, which I liked. There are also private rooms, so it works well for gatherings and get-togethers with friends.

The bar table seats 2 people at a time, 6 in total (3 parties), and a wooden station in the middle separates you from your neighbors so you can eat comfortably.

Every seat has a paper mat, and the line "You are guest number 74,655" caught my eye. It felt like they were trying to remember every single guest who visits Anmin Gimhae, which was kind of funny and strange, haha.

What's on the Anmin Gimhae menu?

Anmin Gimhae uses only domestic Korean pork and serves fresh meat only, with no frozen items. The meat menu has fresh pork thick belly, jowl (moksal), specialty cuts, and skin-on pork neck. For meals there are stews like doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) and sundubu jjigae (soft tofu stew), plus Masite soy ramen and cold ramen! I'd never seen a pork BBQ place that sells ramen, so that was fun.

They also have cocktails, highballs and non-alcoholic cocktails, so designated drivers can get in the mood with a drink too. Nice nice!

• Fresh pork thick jowl, 4 servings
• Masite soy ramen x1
• Rice x1

The view from the Anmin Gimhae bar table

Sit at the bar and the road of Juchon stretches out right in front of you. You can watch cars moving after work and the sky slowly turning to sunset. I thought this bar seating is something special to Anmin in Juchon, Gimhae.

Anmin Gimhae's table setting and sauces

The basic setting comes with 7 sauces for the meat, side dishes and wrap vegetables. Overall it felt neat and stylish.

• Salt, zira (cumin), shiitake wasabi, Cheongyang chili fish soy sauce, cheese fondue sauce, salted cutlassfish guts
• Lemon-pickled kimchi, seasonal jangajji (pickles), green onion kimchi, barley ssamjang (wrap sauce)
• Wrap vegetables

Does Anmin Gimhae really grill all the thick pork jowl for you?

Ta-da! This is the fresh pork thick jowl we ordered. At Anmin, a server is assigned to each table and grills everything for you from start to finish.

The brazier is packed full as the server carefully grills the thick jowl cuts.

Once it's all grilled, it's neatly arranged on a meat plate. There's a candle under the plate, so the meat stayed warm the whole time we ate.

The first batch is piled up for you, and while you eat, the server grills the rest and keeps adding it as soon as it's done. With grilled eggplant, asparagus and green onion added, it looks so pretty it puts you in a good mood just looking at it.

It was fun to eat it in different ways: dipping in whichever sauce I liked, or pairing it with the green onion kimchi side dish.

Personally, my favorite was eating it together with the grilled green onion!

What's Masite soy ramen like at a BBQ restaurant?

This is the Masite soy ramen we ordered as our meal at Anmin Gimhae! It's said to use Anmin's signature sauce, made by simmering Japanese soy sauce in-house. We wanted something warm, so we ordered it.

It had a moderate amount of bean sprouts and green onion, and the portion was just right for two to share. The broth was light and clean rather than greasy, so it made a tidy finish to the meal.

Is Anmin Gimhae worth going back to?

The meat and food at Anmin, the Gimhae spot near Costco, were tasty overall, and the soft ambiance made the meal even more enjoyable. I felt the bar table is a really good place for a couple's date. Since they grill all the meat for you from start to finish, it's a Juchon, Gimhae BBQ place I'd want to visit again. Do go to Anmin Gimhae!